2014 Brings Ballot Proposals

posted by Alyssa McElreath, WOOD Radio News Team
-
2 years ago

There are a number of proposals on the ballot this year for Michigan voters to consider.

Eric Lupher of the Citizens Research Council gives an overview of some of the ballot proposals voters are likely to encounter at the polls.

In August voters consider a proposed tax exemption for up to $40,000 of personal property small business owners use for commercial purposes.

Lupher said, "In the lame duck session of 2012, there were bills put through that would do this prior to the vote of the people for it to go forward. So, in August coming up we're going to vote on that."

That August vote will decide whether or not the changes the legislature decided on will take effect or if they head back to the drawing board.

Come November, voters will have the chance to weigh in on the topic of wolf hunting in the Upper Peninsula.

One referendum related to wolf hunts Lupher called a moot point. It would have prohibited wolf hunting as the legislature first enacted it, but after this proposal's development, the legislature passed the wolf hunt in a different way.

"It doesn't really matter how we vote on that," Lupher said, "but there really isn't a mechanism for taking that off the ballot."

The other wolf-hunt-related vote regards changing the law on some aspects of wolf hunts.

Lupher said there were a few other ideas being floated, like banning fracking.

"Last I heard they hadn't collected enough signatures, so it's not clear whether that will be on the ballot or not," Lupher said, "so we'll just have to wait and see on some other things if they garner enough signatures to move their proposals forward."